Awful Announcing Shows Proof Te'o Talked About Girlfriend After "Learning" of Hoax

Submitted by Michael Scarn on

Blogging community continues to out-do the big media outlets:

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That awards show in Orlando took place December 6th.  Two days later, Te'o was in New York City for the Heisman Trophy presentation, also televised on ESPN, on December 8th.  That night, Te'o was interviewed on stage during the hour long show by Chris Fowler.  In a transcript from that Heisman interview, it reveals Te'o voluntarily talking about his girlfriend passing away after he supposedly found out about the hoax.  In fact, he told Chris Fowler the moment he found out about his girlfriend's passing was the one moment he would never forget during the season.

Chris Fowler: There were a lot of cameras around you this year, there was so much public sharing of very private moments, which shared moment will you never forget above the others?

Manti Te'o: I think I’ll never forget the time when I found out that, you know, my girlfriend passed away and the first person to run to my aid was my defensive coordinator, Coach [Bob] Diaco, and you know he said something very profound to me, he said ‘this is where your faith is tested.’ Right after that, I ran into the players’ lounge and I got on the phone with my parents – and I opened my eyes and my head coach was sitting right there. And so, you know, there are a hundred-plus people on our team and the defensive coordinator and our head coach took time to just go get one [of those players]. You know I think that was the most meaningful to me.

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Mr Miggle

January 17th, 2013 at 8:54 PM ^

ESPN may well have been sitting on that until his interview. It's obvious the interview was canceled because there are questions he's going to have a hard time answering.

Joined: 10/07/2010

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Michael Scarn

January 17th, 2013 at 9:00 PM ^

The hilarious (stupid) thing about how he's handled this is if he had come out and sincerely apologized for either:

1. Orchestrating It

2. Embellishing to a ridiculous extent and feeding the media's fawning over it.

(because there are no other explanations for his behavior), the news would have been forgotten much more quickly.  The longer he delays and denies, the bigger the media circus becomes.  Whoever is advising him should be fired.  

Joined: 01/21/2011

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HelloHeisman91

January 17th, 2013 at 9:03 PM ^

They were collecting money for cancer research in her name in Miami and Teo mentioned her while addressing ND fans. This story is full of so many holes it could compete with a red light district.

Joined: 08/05/2009

MGoPoints: 46190

st8champ90

January 17th, 2013 at 9:56 PM ^

I really think it's gonna come out that dude is gay.  The girlfriend thing was a cover and now his cover is blown.  I may be wrong but that would at least explain why this all happened.

Joined: 04/09/2011

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PurpleStuff

January 18th, 2013 at 12:35 AM ^

If Ray Lewis or Jake Long or Drew Brees or whoever announced tomorrow that he just loves having sex with guys, do you think anyone would give a shit?

I think the whole "hostile culture" thing is way overblown.  Straight guys make fun of other straight guys in ways that question their masculinity.  That can involve stating/implying that they are homosexuals or referring to them as women's body parts or just using a lady's name when addressing them.  It doesn't really have anything to do with their actual sexual orientation, except for complete psychos.

For example, if your buddy ordered a Cosmo at the bar and you questioned his sexuality and he responded by saying, "Actually, yes, I'm totally into dudes and hope to one day marry a handsome gentleman," most people wouldn't turn that into an altercation.  You would just have to think up a new, more creative way to bust your buddy's balls.

 

Joined: 04/21/2009

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Monocle Smile

January 18th, 2013 at 12:48 AM ^

most people wouldn't turn that into an altercation.
Out of curiosity, where do you live, approximately? I can think of an awful lot of places where this wouldn't be the case, and it might even be a stretch to say "most people" wouldn't behave this way.

Joined: 09/17/2009

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WolverineHistorian

January 18th, 2013 at 12:59 AM ^

That's all nice and dandy but the reality is, there is not a single out athlete in the NFL (or the NBA, or the NHL or the MLB.)   A few come out after retirement but never, EVER during.  I'm pretty sure there is a reason for this, otherwise this wouldn't be such a never ending issue. 

Coming out before playing a single down in the NFL?  That would be a first.  I can't even comprehed of such a thing.

Joined: 08/10/2009

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PurpleStuff

January 18th, 2013 at 1:23 AM ^

50+ years ago there were no black athletes in those leagues.  More recently, Liberace and Paul Lynde just hadn't found the right girl yet, because you couldn't be on TV if you were "like that". 

I'm not saying it would be easy for the first guy (though I imagine it would spur others), but we all know there are a certain number of people in the world who are gay.  Knowing those odds/statistics, there are somewhere between dozens and hundreds of current pro/college, male athletes who are gay.  If they all just said, "Yup, I like guys, no big deal" the hysteria would completely go away, IMHO. 

From personal experience (and to respond to the farther up post, I've lived everywhere from Texas/Virginia to SoCal/Ann Arbor), a good friend of mine was in a fraternity where the guy they elected president turned out to be gay and he was afraid to admit it and only came out to his closer friends in the house near the end of college.  Despite his worries, none of the hard partying, skirt chasing dudes who would call you a f** for not being willing to drink until you shit your pants actually gave a shit.  I had a buddy in high school who we played football with who came out in his mid/late twenties.  We were only creeped out because he never told anybody and all the times he wanted to watch porn with a group of other 16 year old dudes now seemed weird as fuck in retrospect.

I think a lot of casual trash talking among dudes who assume whoever they are talking to is straight intimidates folks from just being willing to admit who they are.  The overwhelming majority of folks would not have a problem with a successful gay athlete.  If he sucked, they would probably utter plenty of homophobic slurs, but that happens anyway for players who are ostensibly straight (SEE Artie Lange shouting "GayRod" at Alex Rodriguez).  If a guy like Te'o, or just a handful of the current athletes who are gay (and yes, there are probably quite a few) came out, this isn't an issue any more.  And if psychos who have a problem with it want to watch ladies figure skating to avoid supporting the "homos" in the NFL, more power to them.

Joined: 04/21/2009

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coldnjl

January 18th, 2013 at 6:43 AM ^

its the NFL...predominantly populated by young poor black males. Not a collection known for tollerance of homosexuality. Furthermore, I would be suprised if an NFL owner would use a high draft pick to find out how putting a gay male (which there are none at this point) in an NFL lockerroom would work.

BUT...another traditionally homophobic group, the military, is expanding its acceptance of gays in a successfull, yet slow way

Joined: 12/31/2009

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M-Wolverine

January 18th, 2013 at 11:07 AM ^

At least media-wise.  But we're talking locker rooms, not high society. And some of the most "manly" venues out there. It's a different atmosphere. It may not be right, but I can understand the fear of being accepted in it.

Take a look here - a blog about a team of truly higher education (and a pretty liberal school) and if anyone says they like musicals you get all sorts of gay undercurrent jokes and attacks. And I'd like to think the level of discourse here is higher than the average sports blog, or definitely, NFL locker room. (Would you want to be the gay player in the same locker room as Tebow?)

And seeing how we've had threads on here illustrating how NFL fans in stadiums are basically drunken cavemen, I'm not sure they'd be shouting the nicest things at him either.

I'm sure the media would be fully behind it, and we're headed towards a day where that first guy does it and everyone realizes "hey, was this that big a deal?" But much like Jackie Robinson, for that first guy, it's going to suck.

Joined: 10/04/2009

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Blue-Chip

January 17th, 2013 at 10:03 PM ^

I have seen the date he "learned" of the hoax as being Dec. 6th and Dec. 26th. That's kind of an important difference in placing this item into context. Which of the dates is accurate, or at least the official company line?

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